Support for implementation and whole-system change builds
the capacity to get it done

Bad things can happen to good strategies—especially when there’s not enough support or capacity to implement necessary
changes. That’s why we offer extended support, when
needed, for implementation and change. Once we achieve alignment at the top, we
expand our work deeper into the organization to support implementation through
high-performance teams, or to shift the entire organization through a whole-system change effort.

When we move beyond top-team alignment to
extend into implementation or whole-system change, we:

Support internal senior people to lead the change

Start with small, rapid-turnaround projects that have a high
probability of success

Build enduring capacity and skills

Train internal consultants or facilitators to support the work

Apply action-learning strategies

Consistently re-evaluate the client’s needs and adapt to changing
realities

Everything that affects performance matters

We begin change efforts with
decision-driven change, then layer in behavior- and culture-change, which
typically is less predictable and takes more time.

TANGIBLE SIDE OF PERFORMANCE

INTANGIBLE SIDE OF PERFORMANCE

What
you can see

What
you can feel

Strategy

Leadership

Decisions

Relationships

Systems

Culture

Quantities

Qualities

Insights
from analytical work

Insights
from personal work

Clarifying
roles and accountabilities

Building
trust, commitment, and teamwork

Changing
staff (who’s on or off the bus)

Changing
“climate” (mood and motivation)

We find value in resistance

We don’t buy into the common belief that
resistance to change is a bad thing. We see inherent value in resistance, so we
actually work with it, not against
it. Paradoxically, tapping the hidden wisdom in resistance can help to loosen
its grip on the change effort.

We tap the positive energy in polarities

Polarities are everywhere. Understanding
the dynamics of these interdependent pairs of opposites—such as stability and
change, or cost and quality&mdashcan help us to move a system that is “stuck” and
create more sustainable change.

That’s good news for our clients—research shows that organizations that manage polarities well tend to
outperform those that don’t.